9436: more humantarian aid being held in Haitian customs (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Stuart M Leiderman <leidermn@cisunix.unh.edu>


Group:

here are excerpts from a call for help to release from Haitian customs
yet another shipment of humantarian aid.  I would appreciate anyone's
offer to intercede in this matter.  unless there are good procedural
reasons why such shipments need to be held in Port-au-Prince for months
at a time, this treatment really abuses the goodwill of donors all over
the world.

thank you.

Stuart Leiderman
leidermn@christa.unh.edu

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"October 30, 2001

"Greetings...from Haiti. I just received your message of Tuesday a few
minutes ago. My e-mail server has been down for two days; one of the
many problems we have here in Haiti.

"Yes, the container has been sitting here in Haiti since April 23. I
have tried everything I can think of to get it, but to no avail so far.
There have been more than 50 persons here who have said they could help,
but no one has been able to do a thing so far. I even had other
governmental functionaries trying to get things done, but it is a
nightmare! Even though (or perhaps because of) we were receiving this as a
partnership with the Mayor's Office in _____, and even though all of the
contents are to be distributed freely to those we listed, nothing has been
done.

"I do not know what else to do. So many persons are suffering because
of the incompetence of the system here. And Dr. _____ is offering another
container for us...possibly two if we can find the means to pay for the
shipment. But I will not try to get anything here again if we have to go
through such trouble. No wonder the people here have such a hard time. I
thought I had good contacts, but mine are no better than others. Another
friend of mine who has several clinics here has been waiting for his
containers to be cleared since last February!

"<snip> The container is in the d'Adesky yard and is in the name of _____
and the Mayor of _____. It arrived on the 23rd of April. It is destined
for our clinic and several others. I am the only one authorized to open
it. _____ paid for the transport, as you know. All of the proper papers
are in the hands of the customs authorities <snip>. I have been to see
them all so many times that I have begun to think that someone has stolen
the container and they are merely covering-up.

"It is impossible! Whatever can be done will be greatly appreciated. I am
quite embarrassed over this whole incident because I assured Dr. _____
that I had sufficient connections to get the container released quickly!
6-7 months is NOT quickly! And I do have more-than-enough good connections
that I should have had it released long ago. I will have to re-evaluate
my "good" connections! <snip>

<signed>"

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